The Cost of Eternity
by lonelypencilcollection
Summary: Marco only had to endure a week without his beloved until he realized that he couldn't live without him. However, what was the cost of trampling over the laws of life and death? To revive the dead was the greatest taboo, the ultimate sin, surely there would be consequences for such actions. Despite that, Marco believes that having Ace by his side was well worth the horror and pain.
1. Chapter 1

The Cost of Eternity

Chapter 1:

Marco had thought that he was prepared for the worst to happen when they had sailed into Marineford. Oyaji had talked at length about all the possible outcomes of the approaching war, even the worst-case scenario, something Marco wondered if he was living at the moment they'd laid Oyaji and Ace to rest. Now, they had spent over a week camped out with Shank's crew no more than a couple islands away from the place they'd buried their dead, and temptation was nagging at Marco. It was the temptation to trample on the laws of god and life and it sang to Marco as sweetly as any siren could.

Marco dreamt constantly, not of their father, but rather of Ace alone, when he slept at all that was. Even though they'd been separated for some time before Ace's death, this separation was different entirely. When he would lay awake in bed he could no longer comfort himself with the notion that Ace was out there still alive, as that was no longer the truth. He felt cold now, whether because of loneliness or mourning it seemed as if Marco would never be warm again. His body was present with the rest of the crew, but his mind, heart, and soul were all left at the foot of Ace's grave.

He berated himself internally. **You knew that this would be the outcome,** he chided, **even if you didn't think it would happen this soon, you always knew you would be the one left mourning. That was what it meant to be the phoenix. You can't do anything,** he screamed in his mind, **stop thinking about it. Ace wouldn't want to be brought back into a world that so openly despises him,** he thought. **Oyaji hadn't wanted that**.

Her existence, her power; these are things he only ever told Oyaji about. At first, both of them had been relieved that there was someone else out there that had a similar affliction as Marco. However, as they approached Marineford, Oyaji had summoned Marco to his room specifically to talk about what Oyaji would want if he didn't make it back from the war alive. He'd be blunt when he'd told Marco that he didn't wish to be dragged back to the world of the living and Marco had accepted his wishes.

However, it was Ace that Marco now longed for and knowing that she existed was torture in and of itself. He could have Ace back in his arms again, alive, and warm and happy. He wanted that. He wanted it more than he'd ever wanted anything, but he knew it was wrong. **Mortals shouldn't tamper with the balance of life and death,** he told himself, **and** **if Ace was truly at peace I'd only cause him more suffering if I brought him back to life.**

He shifted in his bed, it was late in the night if not extremely early in the morning. It was hard for him to keep track of the hours anymore when all he could think about was Ace. It was eerily quiet, and Marco itched for the sound of Ace's heart beating to fill the room like it used to as his body would lay on the bed next to Marco. **His heart doesn't beat anymore** , he reminded himself, **he's six feet beneath the ground and somewhere you can never follow.** He felt as though he was being haunted, but he knew it was just that his mind was breaking at losing his beloved.

He wanted to see that cheesy smile on Ace's face again. His mind supplied the sound of the man's laugh and it almost seemed to chase away the darkness and gloom for a moment. Yet, once it was gone Marco was left more hollow and distraught than before. Perhaps it was that he craved that laugh so much his mind saw fit to torment him with it.

He wanted to lay on the deck of the Moby, another loss to the war, with the sun shining down on them as he and Ace laid side by side. He wanted to count the freckles on the younger man's face and kiss them one by one as Ace would try to fight him off in embarrassment. If he closed his eyes, Marco was sure that he would've been able to feel the heat of the sun and the other man's body. **I'm losing my mind,** he thought, **I'll go insane if this keeps up.**

Ace was gone; dead and buried, and yet Marco's mind couldn't accept that fact and it was tearing him apart. Was it because he knew that there was something he could do to change that, even if it was the greatest possible taboo to commit on the face of the planet. **She could bring him back,** he pleaded with himself, against all rationality that he desperately tried to cling to. **She would do it, for me,** he begged, **if I asked her, if I told her I loved him, she would bring him back for me.**

"The dead never come back whole," A whisper from long ago ghosted through the room, "There's always a cost to be paid and only horror to follow."

He heard her voice as if she was sitting on the bed right next to him. She'd never explained exactly what the cost was but had only stated that it was gruesome and an evil not lightly wished upon someone. Could he truly wish that upon someone he loved, simply because he didn't think he could live without the other's presence?

He was being selfish, he knew, to even consider what he was thinking of. His mind was fractured, however, it's parts arguing incessantly. Marco wrapped his arms around himself and tried to curl up as much as possible to fend off the cold and the despair; nothing he did helped. He could never feel warm again, not without Ace.

 **He would want to be here for his brother, for our family, for me. He'd want to be with me if he knew it was an option,** one side of him argued clutching the fading feeling of being loved. **You can't know that when you didn't talk to him about it and don't know the cost of bringing him back,** his rational side argued back.

"I can't live without him," He whispered aloud as he started to cry, as he had been on and off for the last week.

 **Then you shouldn't have let him die,** he thought harshly to himself. That thought had hurt but it was what he'd been thinking for a while now. **You should've saved him, yoi. You should've been strong enough to protect him. It's your fault he's gone. You're just trying to escape the guilt by bringing him back.**

"I love, I loved him, yoi."

 **You never told him that, and he never told you that either. For all you know, it was only you who felt that strongly.**

"We were together, he felt something for me, even if he wasn't as enamored as I was. Even if he didn't love me as much as I loved him, that doesn't matter. I still love him more than anything else."

 **Then let him go, let him be at peace, yoi. Stop being selfish and only thinking of how much pain you're in. He's the one who died, not you. Stop acting like you're the only one in pain.**

"Even if he wasn't in love with me, he would want me to be happy, and I can't be without him."

 **Even if it was at his own expense, when you clearly won't do the same for him by leaving him to lie? What if the cost is too great and will only cause him pain?**

"I have to try." Marco muttered. "I can't live like this. I can't forgive myself for leaving him behind when I can do something to change his fate, even if it's just my own selfishness talking, yoi."

 **It is your own selfishness,** his mind screamed. **What were his last words? Remember them, yoi. He never said that he would regret leaving you behind, only his brother. You hadn't even been with him in months, his feelings could have changed for all you know. He didn't even give you a passing thought when his life was fading away. You didn't mean nearly as much to him as you're letting yourself believe. Just because you were in love with him, doesn't mean he had to love you in return. You're not only selfish but also full of yourself.**

"That," Marco hesitates, as the thoughts hurt him severely. "That doesn't mean that he didn't love me. Ace was always protective of his little brother. He died to protect him, yoi. Of course, he'd be thinking of Luffy."

 **If he didn't love you enough to think of you when it mattered most, then he's not going to love you enough to live for you now. Leave him to be in peace.**

"He still had things he wanted to do in this life." Marco argues.

 **Things that didn't involve you, yoi.**

"Then I'll let him go, even if he hates me, even if he abandons me, as long as he's alive then I'm fine with anything he wants." Marco sobs. "I'm not the only one who loves him, everyone does. Everyone misses him, everyone loves him and wants him back, yoi."

 **You're just lying to yourself now. If you brought him back and he left you, then you would be even worse than you are now.**

"Nothing can be worse than this." Marco growled. "I'm already going insane, yoi. If I keep going like this, without bringing him back, my own insanity is going to get even more of my family killed."

 **Now you're not even pretending to care about him. You're only thinking about yourself. You don't want to live without him. You don't want to get anyone else killed.**

"I do care about him, yoi." Marco whispered harshly. "I care about him too much for my own good, or his, or anyone else's. I love him so much I'm thinking to do something that could only be described as evil, even by the person who has the power to do it. I can't live without him. If he lived to hate me, that would be better than this. That would be better than not trying, yoi."

 **You already know that this will end terribly.**

"Maybe so, but I even if there's a tiny chance that he could be alive and happy again; that we could be happy again, then I must at least try, yoi."

Marco abruptly got up and started frantically getting dressed and gathering up his things, before his mind could try to convince him out of his actions again. He wouldn't allow himself to think anymore, not until his had Ace back in his embrace and breathing again. He wouldn't allow himself to think about what he was doing until he could hear Ace's heartbeat again. Even if there would be consequences to his actions, even if Ace hating him would most likely be one of them, he couldn't think about that now. Now, he was only focused on what he must do to bring Ace back to the world of the living.

He threw clothes into a knapsack that he normally took when he was away on missions and errands. He dressed in the same clothes he had worn the day before. He then went to the dresser and opened a small draw he kept his most prized possessions housed in. He took a second to glace over his collection of Vivre Cards; one for each member of his family, before his spotted the two that were destroyed. He hesitated slightly when he spotted Oyaji's but found himself reaffirmed in his actions when he spotted the collection of ashes that was once Ace's Card. Then he reached further into the drawer and grabbed out a small black box. From the box he withdrew another Vivre Card, but one that wasn't for a member of his family. It was hers, and as it twitched in a north-eastern direction he prayed silently that she would help him.

He put the Vivre Card back into the box and then into the knapsack and pulled the drawstring tight to close it. He bent down to pick up his elaborately strapped sandals as nervousness settle into his stomach. He quickly put on the sandals, hoping to quell his anxiety with speed. He would have to wake up Jozu, to tell him to watch over the crew while he was away and talk to Shanks as well. He didn't want to focus too much on what he'd have to do after that, but he knew he'd need a shovel, but a small one would have to suffice. He didn't want his family to know what he was going to do until it was already done. He would also need a length of rope. He grabbed the knapsack, threw it over his shoulder, and stepped out of the room.

…

Shanks had been drinking alone, as the rest of his crew was out cold, when Marco approached him nearly silently. Shanks was surprised and confused, as he'd known Marco had retired for the evening quite some time ago and now the man looked like he was leaving to go somewhere.

"I need to ask you for a favor, yoi." Marco said solemnly as Shanks noticed just how dark the circles beneath the man's eyes had gotten.

"That's weird coming from you." Shanks replied suspiciously. "What can I do for you Marco?"

"I need you and your crew to stay here for a little bit longer." Marco responded. "There's something I have to do, and I can't bring my crew with me, yoi. I'm leaving Jozu in charge, but I can't exactly leave them completely alone. The marines and everyone else will be after us now that Oyaji's gone, but I must leave for a little while. I know you wouldn't attack us while I'm away and would look out for them."

"That's a pretty hefty favor." Shanks mumbled. "Why should I do this? We're allies, and I'd never attack you, but I never agreed to protect you. Unless you've changed your mind about joining my crew?"

"You know as well as I do that I'm never going to do that, yoi." Marco replied.

"Then, why should I do as you've asked me." Shanks asked. "What do you have to offer me in exchange? If I tell my crew that we're watching over you while you're away they'll wonder why, and I'm not going to tell them I help you out of the goodness of my heart."

"So, we're arguing over the cost of your support then." Marco hypothesized.

"Exactly, we're pirates after all, and when it comes to an alliance, you only get what you give." Shanks replied with a smile. "So, Marco, what are you willing to give me?"

Marco sighed, "It's not like we have a whole lot to give right now, yoi."

Marco paused, knowing that there was only one thing that Shanks would really find useful, however he's not sure how his crew would react to him handing that over to Shanks. Would Shanks even be interested in that? After all Shanks had sailed with Roger, so Marco couldn't be sure Shanks would be interested in it, but it was all Marco had to offer at the moment.

"We know where one of the four Road Poneglyphs is, we keep others from finding it, yoi." Marco explaining. "I obviously can't give it to you, however I'd be willing to share its location with you. I'll tell you where it is and let you come and go as you please from there, but we maintain custody of it."

"Do you realize what you're offering right now?" Shanks asked incredulously. "Why would you offer something that important? What is it that you have to do that would ever equate to that?"

"I can't tell you that, yoi." Marco responded.

"Why not," Shanks questioned.

"You would try to stop me." Marco admitted.

Shanks tried to read Marco's expression, but all he found was pain and misery. What was it that Marco was going to do? Shanks understood just how much the phoenix had lost recently but what could he be planning to do that Shanks would try to stop him.

"You, you are going to come back right Marco?" Shanks asked hesitantly.

"Of course I am," Marco scoffed in surprise with an eyebrow arching.

"Then I don't understand why I would stop you," Shanks added. "What is so horrible that you're afraid that by saying it out loud I'll keep you from doing it other than that?"

"I can't say, yoi." Marco replied with a shrug. "I can only tell you that I'm going to meet up with an ally of mine who hides not only from the world government but most of society in general."

"What ally of yours wouldn't have fought with you all in the war?" Shanks asks. "Are you going to kill them for not helping you?"

"She isn't an ally of the Whitebeard Pirates, she's just an ally of mine, yoi." Marco explained. "She wasn't under any obligations to fight in our war."

"Wait," Shanks says suddenly, "You're offering to share one of the Road Poneglyphs with me so that you can go visit your girlfriend."

"She isn't anything like that, yoi." Marco exclaimed in irritation. "She's a very powerful devil's fruit user and I need her help."

"Fine," Shanks sighed, "My crew would kill me if I turned down an opportunity like this, but will yours be okay with you giving something this important away?"

"When I return they'll understand why I did what I did, yoi." Marco responded.

"I hope you're right about that Marco." Shanks grumbled. "Although if they don't accept it I guess you can just join my crew. I'll protect you even if it's from them if they decided not to follow your lead."

"If you don't want to lose another arm, you'll do no such thing, yoi." Marco threatened darkly.

"Fine, fine," Shanks shrugged. "So, where's the Poneglyph?"

"You'll know when I return." Marco answered.

"Aw, are you saying you don't trust me to keep my word?" Shanks complained.

"You said it yourself, we're pirates, and although I don't have any reason to distrust you, I refuse to pay upfront for any service, yoi." Marco said with his lips twitching into a ghost of a smirk, although it didn't reach his eyes.

"Then you have to come back." Shanks said sternly.

"That was always the plan, yoi."

"Good luck, Marco, I get the strange feeling that you'll need it."

…

As Marco approached the island where Oyaji and Ace were laid to rest, rain started to pelt down on him. He would have laughed at the appropriateness of the gloomy weather for the tasks he would have to complete, if he'd been in a better mood himself. When he landed the soft and pliable wet earth gave way beneath his talons creating large scratches in the ground. When he shifted back into his human form he was almost immediately soaked to the bone, causing him to feel even colder than he had beforehand.

It wasn't a long walk to the gravesite, but as he approached it, nerves stirred in his abdomen. He knew this was wrong; digging up his beloved's grave to recover his corpse in the pouring rain. As the graves came into view the ever-present pain in his heart grew more painful and almost staggering in intensity. Ace's possessions still hung on his grave where they'd left them, but the flowers surrounding the two graves seemed so morbid in the low light and heavy rain.

Perhaps it was only his fractured mind's conjuring, but he could almost feel his father's disapproval weighting him down. After all, Oyaji hadn't allowed him to ask her to bring back Thatch when they'd lost him. Surely, he would disapprove of what Marco was there to do as well. However, Marco just shook his head, knowing he'd be unable to listen to that order even if the older man was still alive to give it to him.

He turned his attention back to Ace's grave and approached it until he could reach out and gently caress the stone. He took a deep breath to settle his mind as much as he could with what he was about to do. He closed his eyes and really allowed himself to feel the rain and despair one last time. Then he opened them and started to gather the belongings of Ace's that were left on his head stone. One by one he placed them into the knapsack, finally intertwining the strings of Ace's hat with the strings of the bag until it was firmly attached.

He withdraws the small shovel, something like a hand tool used for gardening, from the bag. It would take longer to dig up his beloved's grave with something so small, but he hadn't wanted to give away his intentions to his family or Shanks. What would they think if they knew what he was going to do? He then set his bag with the attached hat to the side and out of the way of the still unsettled dirt that gave away where Ace's body lay encased in a simple pine coffin that they'd made to bury him in, far beneath the ground.

He looks to the graves once more before starting the grim task he set out to complete. He talked to them as if they were the two people that laid buried beneath the dirt. He had no reason for doing so other than to distract himself from what he was about to do, however talking made him feel more at peace.

"I'm sorry," Marco whispered while the tears started falling again although they were unable to be discerned from the raindrops. "If you can, please, forgive me. I'm not as strong as I thought I was, yoi. Forgive me for being too weak to go on without you."

Marco then got on his knees in the dirt on Ace's grave and dug the shovel into the dirt for the first time, starting the long and arduous process of digging up the man's body. The ground was wet and soft and easily gave way to the shovel. It made the process easier, but Marco was sure he looked like a madman. He felt like a madman, covered in the dirt and mud from a grave. He was sure that he was going to be covered in it by the end of the process, not matter how much the rain tried to wash it away from him.

Inch by inch, Marco dug into the earth wanting to recover the love that he had lost. He could only think of how it would feel to be able to hold Ace in his arms again, to hear that heartbeat, that laugh. He couldn't think about what he was doing, it was unbelievable to him, even if he was in the process of completing the task. He was crazed, plain and simple, he had almost convinced himself that Ace would be alive with open arms and a smile on his face when he opened that coffin, but he knew deep down that wasn't the case.

He was sure hours had passed before he finally struck the wood of the coffin and brushed off the last of the dirt from it. His breathing was heavy, whether from the labor of the task or the emotional fatigue he was experiencing. However, it was still dark as it had been when he arrived, possibly because of the continuous heavy downpour. He began to pry open the coffin using the shovel as a makeshift crowbar as well, and it worked well enough.

However, once it was open and he gazed again at Ace's dead body his illusion shattered again, and he knew his work wasn't finished. Ace lay there still, pale, silent; the smile that was on his face when he died was gone now and he looked simply peaceful. He was wrapped in red fleece blanket and the pillows on which his body lay were orange in color, although it wasn't as discernable in the dark and rain. They'd wrapped Ace's torso up in bandages before they had wrapped the blanket around him when they'd buried him. They were trying to hide the injury from the blow that had taken his life.

Marco did his best to wipe away the muck that was covering him before he dared to reach out and touch Ace. Once he was as clean as he was going to get, Marco reached out and caressed Ace's cheek, it was so cold although not much else had changed about Ace's body since they had buried him. The coffin hadn't allowed Ace's body to decay at all since it was such a short time since he'd been buried. That, at least, was a relief to Marco, not having to see Ace's body decayed or eaten away by insects.

Marco smiled, though he must have looked depraved and at a loss of all his senses and sensibilities. He rubbed his thumb against Ace's cheekbones his hands cupped his face. Marco leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ace's forehead. It was cold, even colder than Marco felt, and Marco faltered for a moment, although only briefly.

"It will be okay, Ace, I'll fix this, yoi." Marco promised.

Marco then began to remove Ace from his grave. He supported Ace's body with one arm under his shoulders and the other under his knees. However, he knew there was something else he'd have to do before he set out for there destination. He leaned Ace's body up against their father's grave, where Ace would sit while Marco filled back in the grave.

Marco closed the casket. Although it would no longer be nailed shut, as Marco hadn't thought about bring nails and a hammer with him. Then, he shoveled the dirt back into the grave, and although it looked fresher than it should be for when they'd buried Ace, it would still give the appearance of the person still being buried. He didn't want his family, or, god forbid, one of there enemies to know that Ace wasn't in his grave or dead, until he was prepared enough to deal with it. Once that was done, he covered his tracks even more by disheveling the dirt of their fathers grave as well, just enough to make it look as it should for two people buried at the same time.

Once everything looked as one would expect it to, Marco approached his knapsack which was completely drenched with rain. He opened it and withdrew the length of rope that he'd brought with them. He needed to secure Ace's body onto his back, seeing as otherwise he could fall off while they were flying, and Ace would be lost to the ocean then and truly beyond Marco help. Completing this task was awkward because Marco had to hold Ace's body in place while he wrapped the rope around them and knotted it tightly to keep Ace in place.

Once the task was completed Marco reached for his knapsack again and with drew the small box containing the Vivre Card. He used the top of the box to shield the card from the rain while he peeked at it to confirm the direction he needed to fly in. Assured of his path Marco put the Vivre Card away into the knapsack before slinging said knapsack over his and Ace's back.

Marco took one more look at their father's grave and felt like he was being watched by the man. Marco's lips pressed into a thin line like a reprimanded child's might. However, he just couldn't listen to that rational side of him anymore, no matter how loudly it was screaming that this was a horrendous idea. He turned on his heels away from the grave and bowed his head to calm himself for a brief moment. In a sudden burst of determination, he took to the sky changing forms, even though he felt weighted down in spirit. He rose up into the clouds eager to reach his destination.

…

He had flown all through the daylight and the sun was settle in a blissful comingling of bright reds and subtle ambers when he saw an island finally come into view. He prayed that this was their destination, although worms seem to stir in his abdomen with anticipation and worry. He flew to the most north eastern part of the island before landing to check if the Vivre Card was still pointing in the same direction. He carefully withdrew the box containing the card from the knapsack and check its contents. Thankfully, the card was now pointing in a different direction, slightly southwest, which meant that she was on this island. Marco breathed a small sigh of relief.

He started to gently untie and removed the knot from the rope holding Ace's body in place on his back from a crouched position. He then laid Ace's body beside him for a moment, so he could put away the rope before returning the knapsack to its place on his back. Afterwards he quickly and carefully took Ace into his arms once more while keeping the Vivre card in one hand so that he could tell where he was going.

After the sky had turned dark once more, and after having avoided a town from which someone could have recognized him or Ace in the Vivre card finally led Marco to a secluded cabin in a dense forest away from the rest of the islands inhabitants. He walked in a large circle around the house and the Vivre card continued to point inwards towards the house the whole time. Marco was relieved to have finally found her. However, he swallowed thickly, still not completely sure that she would help him given her own thoughts on what he was hoping to accomplish.

He approached the door to the cabin apprehensively. Behind that door was someone who could give Marco what he most wanted, or she could turn him down. He could only hope that she would listen to him. He knocked on the door and shifted on his feet as he heard footsteps from the inside approaching it.

Soon the door swung open to reveal a young woman with amber hair and hazel eyes. She looked over him and the body he was carrying with surprise and nervousness before her eyes moved to meet his. Her face seemed distraught and concerned; it was obvious that she knew exactly why he had sought her out.

"Marco," She said with a voice that wasn't overly pleasant but wasn't angry either. "I had a feeling, after I saw the news, that you would be coming here. Although I thought it would be with a different corpse."

"Banshee," Marco replied uncertainly. "I need your help."

"I know," Banshee sighed before moving aside to allow him inside. "Come in."

…

 _ **I'm sorry that this isn't the story you all want updated. I have terrible writer's block right now and just a bunch of other things going on. On a related note I no longer have a beta so I'm also sorry for any errors you guys find. My friend who was my beta pretty much stabbed me in the back and cost me $2,200 because she was lazy and incompetent so now I'm taking her to court. So, yeah I don't have a beta anymore. Anyway I'm been thinking about writing this fiction for a while and since I have no inspiration for the other two right now I thought I might as well start this one because I have 13 chapters already planned out for it at this point. Anyway this is your warning for some dark stuff in this fiction so you've been warned. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review. Thank you and love ya'll as always.-LPC**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"You can lay him down on the couch over there." Banshee directed, pointing at the large, sturdy, leather couch to one side of the living space.

Marco approaches the indicated couch and gently lays Ace's body down. Since the blanket is still wrapped around Ace it looks as if the man was just asleep on the piece of furniture, or it would have if not for his pallid color of skin. Marco turns back to look at Banshee who was crouched down to withdraw a little black book from underneath an end table. She was dressed in all black, as was her habit. She wore a long sleeved black blouse with layers of thin black lace hanging from the edges making somewhat of a skirt around her black jeans, complemented with black, leather boots that were well worn.

"So," Banshee started hesitantly, "Explain exactly what's going on for me. I would have expected you to bring your captain's body here, but why did you bring him? I saw the broadcast, just like everyone else. So, why did you bring Roger's son's body here and not your captain's? I get that he was part of your crew, but I think I might be missing something."

"Oyaji knew of your existence, and he didn't want to be brought back to this world, yoi." Marco responded. "Ace, didn't know anything about you. I only informed Oyaji about you, since you told me you enjoyed your privacy."

"So, you want me to bring back someone who didn't even know that such a thing was possible then." Banshee said in understanding. "Why?"

"I," Marco paused briefly, feeling awkward that the first time he told someone about his feelings for Ace wouldn't be to Ace himself. "I love him." Marco admitted. "I'm going insane without him next to me. I'm just going to get everyone killed like this. I can't live without him, yoi."

Banshee sighed and shook her head. She hadn't considered Marco to be the sentimental type. Then again, they hadn't spent much time together. She had given him her Vivre Card because she was glad to have found someone else that was like her. She had hoped that he wouldn't repeat the mistakes she had made, but it seemed that he was doing just that.

"You'd be surprised what, and who, you can live without." She told him sternly.

"It's different." Marco stated. "I didn't bring you other members of my crew when they passed away, only him, yoi. He's special."

"You don't even know what it would do to him." Banshee reminded. "The dead don't come back to this life as human as when they left it. They're changed, and by the laws of sanity; they're monsters. He's not going to come back as what he was before, and you don't even know if he'd want to be brought back if he knew what the cost of that was."

"Tell me, yoi." Marco pleads. "Tell me the cost, because I'd gladly exchange my life for his, if that what it would take, not matter what he'd be once he's here."

Banshee huffed in an annoyed manner before answering, "A zombie, that's what he'd come back as."

"What?" Marco asked in a stunned but monotone voice. "He'd be himself, though, right?"

"For the most part, however there are consequences." Banshee explained in a calmer manner. "I know for one that being brought back has multiple negative effects on the revived person's body and mind. For one, they develop a hunger for the flesh of other humans, and they can't eat anything else or they'll just regurgitate it. In other words, they're strictly cannibals. They also can't go without food or they'll just turn into a bloodthirsty animal, completely unable to tell the difference between friend and enemy."

"However, that's only the biggest change," Banshee continued. "They're also much stronger than normal humans, but it seems as if they long for death in most cases. Someone who comes back will constantly have the mentality that they should die and show symptoms of severe depression and are at a high suicide risk. Although, I'm not sure if that's just because they dread what they've become or if it's really an effect of being brought back. And that's even though they're practically in the same situation we are after being brought back."

"How many people have you brought back, yoi?" Marco asked in wonder.

"Three," Banshee respond with certainty. "Two of them were people whom were trying to kill me that I brought back to see what my powers could do. The other one was someone very close to me, but she took her own life shortly after being brought back. She couldn't accept what she'd become, which is why you have to be sure that he could handle it, because otherwise you're only hurting him."

"Your devil's fruit is the shini-shini no mi," Marco questioned, "The death-death fruit."

"Yes, I'm able to interact with death. It's a paramica type." Banshee replies. "Meaning I can kill with a touch or revive with one. However, someone has to die for me to bring back someone."

"So, I have to die to bring him back, yoi." Marco questioned.

"No," Banshee replied. "Someone has to die, but not you specifically, and this island just happens to be full of scumbags. That doesn't resolve what we were talking about. Do you think he would be able to handle what being brought back would mean for him?"

Marco paused and looked over to Ace, knowing that his beloved's life had already be laden with concerns about whether he deserved life. Marco had hoped that their family had helped relieve those doubts, however the war had brought all that to the surface again. He had to wonder if bringing Ace back and subjecting him to a life of cannibalism that was already known to drive people to suicide was really what was best for his love.

 **Think about his last words** , his mind supplied, **remember them, and really examine what he wanted.**

"He," Marco mumbled hesitantly, "He was at peace at the end. He died with a smile on his face, yoi."

"You're uncertain about whether he'd want this." Banshee noticed. "You're worried that even if you brought him back, he'd still choose to leave you again. You're afraid that even if he knew how much you loved him, he would still choose death and peace over a difficult life with you."

Marco ran his hands down his face and kept them there as he tried to hold back the sobs that were about to break loose. Banshee was right, he was afraid that Ace would just want to return to the dead, and that he'd hate and reject Marco for bringing him back. He'd tried to tell himself it wouldn't matter, that if Ace was alive that he'd be fine if the man hated him. However, now knowing that those brought back often wanted to die again; Marco had to question his actions again.

Ace had already had a difficult life, constantly wondering if he deserved to be alive. Ace had often pondered whether he deserved to be born since most of the population had thought that he didn't. It was those people who took Ace's life in the end. Ace was already looking into death from the moment he was born, and if what Banshee said was correct then his second life would only be rifer with such notions. Could Marco truly justify what he was about to do, knowing what pain it would cause him? Marco couldn't help but to let himself break out into tears again. Banshee began to talk to cover the silence of Marco's sorrow.

"The third person I brought back was someone I was in love with, and to this day, I still believe she was in love with me." Banshee explained somberly. "After she was brought back to life, things were normal to me, but three days after, when the hunger started again, she killed herself while I wasn't looking. She left a note saying that she couldn't live on as what she was and that it felt wrong to be alive somehow. She said that she was sorry in the note, but I always worried that she blamed me for bringing her back and making her suffer." Banshee paused to look over at Ace's body before continuing, "He'll have many reasons to want to die, although we may not be able to understand them all. So, tell me, what are the reasons for him to keep living as a monster that kills other humans to survive when living itself feels wrong? What does he have to live for?"

"To live for, yoi?" Marco asked removing his hands from his face and returning his gaze to Banshee.

"He's going to want to die, that can't be avoided." Banshee explained. "When I brought her back I thought being with me would be enough and she wouldn't get suicidal like the others, but it wasn't. In other words, I went in with one hand tied behind my back because I wasn't prepared. I'm not about to let you make the same mistake even if you insist on repeating some of my other ones. Therefore, if he wants to die, how are you going to convince him to live? What would be reasons that he would choose a horrible life over a peaceful death?"

Marco didn't hesitate and slowly started list reasons one by one, "His brother, Luffy. Ace died to protect him, yoi. He'd said that the only thing that made him want to stay, to live, was to see Luffy accomplish his dream. It was his only regret. If he's alive again he'd be able to achieve that. He could live for Luffy, just like he died for him."

"Okay, that's one," Banshee nodded in encouragement. "What else?"

"For our crew," Marco added as his tears started to dry. "We were his family, we loved him, and he loved us. He was happy that we cared about him and that he had a place to belong, a home, yoi."

"And?" Banshee asked, this time with a smile.

"For revenge against Teach," Marco continued. "That was the reason Ace left on his own, yoi. He wanted revenge for Thatch and now he'll want revenge for those we lost in the war; for Oyaji and the others. He'll want to kill that basted who killed our father and stole his powers. He'd never want to let that bastard become the Pirate King, yoi."

"And the reason you're hoping for the most?" Banshee questioned.

"For me, yoi." Marco admitted quietly. "Because I love him, and I hope he'll still love me."

"It probably won't be as easy as all that." Banshee reminded a little bit more coldly. "But, that doesn't mean that I'll turn you away. I want you to know what you're getting into, and what you're getting him into. I was too blind by my own feelings to help the person I loved, but I want you to be able to."

Marco paused for a second before asking the question plaguing his mind, "Do you regret bringing her back."

"Yes," Banshee admitted, "But I would have regretted not doing it even more, probably. At least this way I tried. I just wish I would've seen how much it hurt her and stopped her from dying the second time. However, I'm a selfish person who already kills to keep living, so I'm a bit biased. That's the problem with my powers; once you know that bringing back the dead is possible you can't resist trying and pondering life's endless what ifs."

"So, how do we do this?" Marco questioned.

"We'll need a sacrifice, obviously, someone to die in his place." Banshee informed him. "And based on the wound that killed him, we're going to need a meal for him immediately after he's brought back, unless we want to end up on the menu. Both people need to be brought here alive."

"You said this island was full of scumbags, yoi."

"Indeed, it is," Banshee agreed. "Why do you think I live away from town like this?"

"Because you hate people, yoi." Marco stated.

"Well yes, but the people on this island are some of the worst I've come across." Banshee said. "This island is without law. The people here live in anarchy. They're constantly stealing from and killing each other. Every time I go into town I end up having to fight half the people on the street. Then again, they don't seem to care when I kill off a couple of them, so it has its benefits and defects."

"So, I just need to capture two of them and bring them here, and then you'll bring him back, yoi?"

"That's the plan at the moment, as long as that's still what you want."

"I do," Marco stated. "I want him back, and I want him to keep living. I just hope I'll be able to make him want that too, yoi."

"Okay, grab the two sacrifices and hurry back." Banshee replied. "It'd be better to do at night than in the daylight; less people awake to hear the screams."

"Understood." Marco nodded, although concerned about Banshee's last words.

Marco turned Ace's again. He approached his body and reached out to brush his bangs away from his face where they'd fallen when Marco had laid him down. Marco stroked a thumb across a freckled cheek before placing a kiss to Ace's forehead again.

"I'll be back soon, yoi." He whispered a promise. "And then I'll fix this."

…

Banshee was correct when she said this island was full of scumbags. Marco flew to the edge of the town and had no more that walked a few yards into it when he came across two men assaulting a young girl in an alleyway. The girl hadn't even looked fourteen in age, and Marco would have stopped them even if he hadn't needed the two men as sacrifices. The two men were burly in build, but Marco was worried about their physical appearance.

The two men hadn't seen him approach as they were too preoccupied with the poor girl, whom they were trying to pull the clothes off of. Marco was able to get within a foot of them before they noticed him. However, they noticed him, probably because he was oozing murderous intent by that point.

The first man, a blond turned to him and spoke gruffly, "Get your own entertainment, this one is ours."

"Yeah," the second man, a brunet agreed, "We worked hard for this one. We aren't going to just hand her over to you. She'll be good for a couple of days of fun."

"I don't find assaulting young girls to be fun, yoi." Marco replied. "I'd rather beat the shit out of men who think of it as such. That's my kind of entertainment."

"You motherfucker," the blond growled, shoving the girl into the grasp of the brunet as he rounded on Marco. "I'll show you to mess with our fun."

"How so?" Marco asked snidely.

The man was obvious in his movements as he attempted to punch Marco in the face. Marco was more than able to read the tells the man's body gave away. He grabbed the offending arm with one hand before hitting the back of the man's elbow with the other, dislocating it. The man screamed out in pain, but Marco wasted no time, and directed another hit to the back of the man's head; rendering him unconscious but not dead. Marco needed him alive, after all.

"Bastard," The brunet yelled as he looked at his fallen compatriot. He shoved the girl to the ground and commanded, "Don't you dare think of running."

The brunet then withdrew a knife from a sheath that hung on his hips at the side that Marco had been unable to see because of his vantage point. Marco raised an eyebrow at the man's actions as he knew the knife would not be able to save the man from him. However, the man seemed more confident now that he had his weapon out. He was remaining oblivious to how comfortable Marco was with a weapon being pointed at him.

"It's too late for you to run now," The brunet snarled. "I'm going to kill you for interrupting us."

"You're welcome to try, yoi." Marco replied with a shrug.

"Take this," the man yelled as he lunged forward.

Marco narrowed his eyes but didn't do anything to stop the knife that was about to stab him. He didn't need to worry when he knew his phoenix powers would protect him. Plus, it wouldn't hurt anyone to freak out this attempted rapist, not when the man would be dead before the sun rose anyway.

The man either didn't notice or didn't try to understand Marco's willingness to be stabbed. The man didn't hesitate to sink his knife into Marco's chest right where Marco's heart was. The wound would have ruined Marco's tattoo if the attack had worked. Instead the knife was simply surrounded in blue flames when it entered Marco's body. The man froze then knowing that his attack had done nothing to the man before him.

"Devil's fruit," the brunet muttered in shock.

Marco grabbed the man by the throat and started holding him up, causing the man to drop the knife as he tried to pry Marco's hands from his neck. Marco smiled then, like a hawk circling it prey, ready to strike. Marco slammed the man into the wall of the alley causing the man to gasp as the wind was knocked out of him.

"If I didn't need to bring you back alive," Marco said slowly. "I would disembowel you right here, yoi. I would tear your guts out with my talons and let you watch them paint the ground red, and you wouldn't have any right to complain. You think assaulting little girls is fun? I'd think it'd be much more fun to kill people like you. Was it fun to pick on those who were much weaker than you? Now you're the weaker one. Is this fun for you, yoi?"

The man opened his mouth to reply but he couldn't make a sound as he had no breath to speak with. Marco continued to deprive the man of air watching as the skin on his face started to change color due to the lack of oxygen. The man's mouth opened and closed like that of a fish on land, soon the man would turn blue just like some fish were. Marco waited, watching, knowing he had to be careful not to kill the man. The man's eyes started to roll back into his head and Marco decided that was a good enough indication that he'd let it go far enough. He released the man's throat and the brunet fell gracelessly to the ground with a thud. Marco kicked the man in the head when he started to stir again, just to make sure that he was out cold.

Marco then heard a small squeak of a sound and looked over to the girl who was huddled into a ball on the ground where the man had thrown her earlier. She hid her face from him, seemingly as terrified of him as she was of her attackers, not that Marco could really blame her.

"You should run home," Marco suggested. "There are a lot of bad people out at night, yoi. It's not safe for you."

The girl stayed curled up and didn't move, still frozen, maybe from shock. Marco didn't address her again. She would move again one her own after he'd left most likely. Instead Marco started to gather up his prize for the battle. He slung the brunet over his shoulder with a huff, and the went to collect the blonde as well.

As Marco started to take his leave he peered back to get a glimpse of the girl, only to find her gone. He frowned for a minute, wondering how she hadn't made a single sound as she'd left. Then he shrugged, what the girl did was of no concern to him at this time. He needed to hurry back, as Banshee said. The sooner Ace was in his arms again, the sooner he'd feel complete again.

…

Banshee turned to see Marco kick open her front door and throw two men to the floor inside. Marco then stepped inside and closed the door behind him before looking to her expectantly. She looked over the two men with disinterest. In truth she recognized the two, whom were infamous around town as pedophiles. She couldn't help but think Marco had made a good selection for sacrifices.

Marco observed Banshee for a few seconds, wondering what she was doing. She had a bowl filled with a green liquid and she was drawing it up into a syringe. He didn't know it was for or why'd they'd need anything other than her devil's fruit powers and sacrifices to bring Ace back.

"What are you doing, yoi?" Marco asked curiously.

"I'm making sure their deaths aren't too painful." Banshee replied. "Sure, they're horrible people, but that doesn't mean I enjoy listening to people screaming as they die. This solution renders them in a coma like state and they won't be able to feel pain. It makes the whole experience much easier to stomach. Plus, with all the blood I'm going to have to clean up afterward, I'd rather vomit not be added to the mix."

"So, you do have a soft side," Marco teased half-heartedly.

"If I didn't would I be helping you like this?" Banshee asked in return.

"Most likely not yoi," Marco agreed.

Banshee nodded before taking the syringe, now full of weird green liquid, and approaching the blond man. She knelt next to him and injected the drug into him. The blond didn't stir in the slightest. She then went to refill the syringe before repeating the process with the brunet. Afterwards she turned back to Marco.

"Lay him down on the floor there," Banshee directed, pointing at Ace and then the spot on the floor. "Make sure you remove the blanket too, we don't want him to get tangled up in it when he wakes up. He's not going to be all there right away, and he won't have much time until he needs to eat something, if we want to keep him alive, that is."

"You mean one of them is going to," Marco spoke slowly and uncertainly.

"Be eaten alive, yes." Banshee supplied. "Which is why I gave them that drug; I don't want them to be able to feel that, not matter how horrible of people they were."

Marco nodded stiffly. He didn't know what to make of that. The idea itself of Ace eating another human being while that person was still alive was off-putting and anxiety coiled in his stomach. That was the kind of life he was sentencing Ace to by bring him back. It caused him to pause and worry about the morality of his decision again.

"Will they always have to be alive, yoi?" Marco asked, "When he eats them?"

"No," Banshee answered, sensing Marco's hesitance. "However, it would keep him the healthiest, despite that, he can subsist on dead people, which would probably be best for his mental state."

"I see," Marco said.

"This is your last chance to back out Marco," Banshee reminded. "If you can't stomach the thought of doing that to him, then don't go through with this. If you can't handle thinking about it or watching it happen then how do you expect him to live with it?"

"It's terrifying to think about," Marco replied, "but if it allows Ace to be alive again, then I can accept it, yoi."

Banshee nodded before leaving the room to retrieve something from her bedroom. Marco focused on his task. He walked over to the couch and stared down at Ace for a second, taking in his still form that he hoped would soon fill with life again. He was excited, to be honest, with the thought of having Ace alive and breathing, and warm again. He was more excited than he was terrified of what was about to happen. He slowly unwrapped the blanket from around Ace, taking in the sight of the bandages wrapped around his torso, covering a fetal wound. Marco didn't understand exactly how the wound was going to be healed, but Banshee hadn't said that it would prevent Ace from being brought back, so Marco assumed it would. He hoped Ace wouldn't just have a gaping hole in his stomach forever. Ace's head lulled back limply when Marco picked up the boy's body again, before Marco tried to support it better. Finally, Marco moved over to the area Banshee had directed him towards and laid Ace's body down. He the stepped away with a heavy and tired sigh. He was ready for this nightmare to be over.

Banshee returned with a pair of handcuffs with an abnormally long chain separating the two manacles. Marco raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms as if the dare her to put those on Ace. However, he was met with an annoyed expression.

"I am not ending up food for your boyfriend, so you need to wipe that look off your face." Banshee chided. "I told you he isn't going to be himself when he wakes up. He'll just want to attack and eat anything in sight, and I am not ending up on that menu. So, you're going to have to get over it, because this is necessary so that he doesn't eat us."

"I don't like the idea of him in chains, yoi." Marco stated rubbing his arms as if to warm himself. "It reminds me of Marineford too much. I never want to see him like that again, yoi."

Banshee nods in understanding. When she was watching the events unfold in the War the boy had been in Kairoseki handcuffs for much of it. She could understand why Marco wouldn't want to stand by and let him be put in chains again. However, it was something they couldn't avoid in this situation.

"I promise as soon as he's stabilized we'll take them off." Banshee replied. "If you think he's going to have trouble eating random evil people, how do you think he'd handle it if he managed to hurt you? Sure, you can heal, but would he still be okay with that, and if he couldn't hurt you then we could risk him dying just because he wasn't able to eat and heal himself."

"That's how the wound will close, yoi?" Marco asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes, he'll be able to heal every time he eats from someone living." Banshee explained. "But we don't want to be the ones he's eating."

"Fine," Marco finally agreed although he felt uneasy.

Banshee nodded and begun to move about several tasks in preparation for what they were about to do. First, she hooked one cuff around a leg of the heavy leather couch. Then she moved as far as she could away from the couch as she could while holding the other cuff. She withdrew a small piece of chalk from her pocket and drew a circle on the wooden floor to measure how far Ace could go once awakened. Afterwards, she entered the circle and attached the other cuff to Ace's right wrist, sparing a small sympathetic look for Marco. Once done, she spoke to Marco again.

"Help me move the other two." She commanded. "Lay them next to him, within his reach. We don't want him to have to look far, with a wound like that, he won't have much time until he needs to eat something."

Marco helped Banshee move the bodies within the circle until they were laying beside Ace. It made Marco uncomfortable to watch the two men's shallow breathing and knowing that he was going to kill them when they couldn't possibly fight back. Even knowing what kind of men they were and even given that they'd attacked him before; he never planned to kill anyone like this. Whenever any of them had killed people it had always been in battle when said person was also intent on killing them. Of course Teach had thrown that all out the window when he'd murdered Thatch and triggered the events that lead Marco to where he stood now. When that's done Banshee nods in a satisfied manner and turns to him again.

"Everything's ready." Banshee announces. "Now, you get out of the circle, like I said this is going to be horrible enough for him without hurting a friend."

Marco glances at Ace once more and sends up a prayer silently. He prays that Ace will forgive him for this selfishness, and that this will allow them to be happy again. He prays that he'll be able to convince Ace to live again. He then steps out of the circle but remains attentive to what Banshee is doing, watching Ace for any sign that his life is returning to him.

"Let's get this over with," Banshee mutters under her breath as she lays one hand on the blond man and the other one Ace.

…

The afterlife isn't anything like Ace imagined it to be while he was living. It wasn't even something he could describe even though he was experiencing it. It was a completely different plane of existence, everything was there only as long as you wanted it to be, otherwise there was just a brilliant haze that seemed to settle over him, even until it felt like it was filling his pores with warmth and light. There was no pain here, nor any memory of it. He knew he was dead on some level, but it didn't cross his mind often nor cause him any stress or discomfort. He was happy for what and who was there with him, and the rest seemed to be kept from his acknowledgement as if this place was shielding him from any worry.

When he'd pause to think of those he'd left behind; Luffy, Marco, the rest of the crew, it's as if those thoughts would fade like smoke; like a dying fire burning out. He somewhat remembered being able to connect with Sabo, who he learned was still alive as his spirit was passing from one world to the next. He remembered helping to reawaken the memories that Sabo had of him and Luffy. He had wanted to make sure that if he couldn't be there for Luffy that Sabo would be. But that memory was blurry and strange as it happened after he'd died, but before he'd come here. However he couldn't truly remember his own death, just that he didn't have a body when he'd reached out to Sabo.

It was if being distraught, worried, and unhappy was impossible here. Whenever he would think of those not with him he could conjure their image, his memories, anything he would want, and it was almost impossible for him to know that it wasn't really them. They were perfect, and Ace couldn't feel lonely either. The fact that the illusions weren't real didn't even pass his subconscious. Only peace, only love, only happiness could exist here, everything else was unavailable to him.

Yet, he was not alone. There were others that were in this haze of fulfillment with him; others he couldn't conjure or make disappear with his wishes, not that he'd ever do that. Thatch had been the first he had encountered; whole and happy, unlike the last time Ace had seen him, but that thought faded into oblivion with his arrival to this place. Ace only knew the joy of seeing him again, and the pain of losing him was destroyed. Then Oyaji came and looking lovingly at his two sons, excitedly embracing. There were no words that Ace could have used to describe seeing him. He couldn't recognize that fact that Oyaji would have to have died to be meeting him again.

Ace was happy, and at peace. He had people to love him here and he'd never have to feel unwanted or despised ever again. No one was there to hate him, or call him a demon, or say that he didn't deserve life. All the people that were here were people who loved him and wished him happiness. The only tears he would have to cry now would be ones of joy. This place was pure bliss and belonging.

Then the cause of his unfortunate life had appeared before him. They came to him, two people he could barely recognize but his soul knew them so completely. A beautiful woman with long peach-pink hair in a simple, pale blue dress with flowers in her hair and a loving expression stood beside an all too familiar man with black hair and a red coat who was looking sheepish, reminding Ace of Luffy somehow. Rouge and Roger both were holding back tears of joy. They looked proud and loving. And, somehow, all the fury and hatred Ace had harbored for that man vanished as if it was never existed to begin with.

Rouge ran to her son, throwing herself at him in the way one would expect of a mother who never got to see her son grow up. Ace wrapped his arms around her and he could feel her emotions rolling from her in waves; love, joy, pride, happiness. She drew back to get a better look at the man her son had become before placing a kiss on each of his cheeks. She gave his hands a squeeze before she stepped back and allowed Roger to approach.

Roger looked almost nervous, or rather excited while he looked over his son. Ace almost felt like squirming under the attention, but the nervousness in his own stomach faded almost as soon as it arrived. Then Roger reached out with a wide, bright smile, so reminiscent of someone else, and ruffled Ace's hair. Ace couldn't hold back his own sheepish grin at that. Perhaps, he was taken back slightly at the knowledge that just as he'd hoped, but never truly dared to dream, his parents had loved him. And, despite all the pain he could now not even remember, he loved them; both of them.

There didn't seem to be words here. There was no need to speak when they could all feel each other's emotions and they were all pleasant ones. For some time, which Ace could no longer fathom how to keep track of, the four of them had shown the best parts of their lives. Oyaji would depict how he and Ace had met and tried to kill him at first, earning laughter from Rouge and Roger that seemed to each through the extent of the realm. Ace had then shown how it had been Marco's words that ultimately swayed him to accept Oyaji's mark. Thatch had conjured them some of his better pranks pulled on their brothers and sisters. Rouge and Roger had shared their first dance together. Ace couldn't tell how long they'd spent simply sharing memories, as time didn't really exist here.

However, all at once he could feel worry and he didn't understand how that was possible as he'd never felt worry since he'd arrived here. He realized it was Oyaji who was feeling such an emotion and turned his head to look at the man in a concerned manner. Oyaji's eyes were looking off into the distance as if seeing something there that the rest of them were unaware of. All at once they had all become concerned on what the man was seeing, but they couldn't see nor understand what was happening.

Finally, Oyaji turned his attention towards Ace and all new emotions flooded him; love, concern, hope, and even a tinge of sadness. The he knelt and took Ace into a brief hug, making Ace confused as he still didn't understand what was happening that cause the man such concern. As soon as Oyaji released him, Thatch approached and gave him a brotherly hug as well before backing up and giving him a couple pats on the arm. Then his parents came to him with concerned looks on their faces before sighing and pulling him into a three-person embrace. Rouge kissed her son on the forehead before struggling to release him. Ace looked at them all in confusion not understand the sudden need for everyone to hug him.

Suddenly, it all came flooding to him the pain, the despair, the sorrow. Tears started to come from his eyes as he remembered his own death, and those of the ones he was now standing right next two. The four people in front of his reached out in sympathy as if trying to comfort him. He remembered the loneliness, and how he'd hated it, and all the pain that came with life. His stomach hurt and when he looked down at it he saw the wound that killed him, and it hurt as if he was going to vomit from the pain. And then darkness started creeping into his vision, stealing the sight of the others from him. He tried to reach out, to touch them, and ground himself. Yet, he couldn't reach them. Then all that was left was the sensation of falling and hunger that permeated his entire being.

"Forgive him, Ace," Was the last thing he heard, in Oyaji's deep voice.

…

Marco watched with anticipation and fear as the blond man he had captured shriveled and turned to dust beneath Banshee's fingertips. His remains crumbled beneath their own weight and scattered across the floor. Marco's breath left him as he starred at Ace waiting for any sign of life returning to his body.

A sound so small, yet so full of terror snaked its way to Marco's ears. Something like a groan mixed with a gurgling growl edged with a hiss. Marco saw Banshee flinch back at the sound and quickly make her way out of the circle and to his side. They exchanged a look; Banshee's eyes were knowing, and Marco's were startled and worried beyond measure. However, they quickly moved their attention back to Ace.

Marco resumed holding his breath in fear and anxiety. He only wanted to step inside circle, and take Ace into his arms, and whisper as many reassurances as it took to make the boy smile. Banshee must have sensed his thoughts or intentions, because she grabbed his arm and shook her head disapprovingly. Marco nodded in understanding and then resigned himself to watch what he knew was about to happen.

Ace started moving, slowly, like someone just waking up out of a haze and his movements were as uncoordinated as a toddler's. That unnerving sound got louder as one of Ace's arms flung itself out disjointedly as he rolled himself onto his side while his head lolled back like his neck couldn't support it. Marco caught a glimpse of Ace's eyes and they were black, as if the pupil had swallowed the iris and sclera of his eye. Marco took a deep breath to calm himself.

Ace didn't take notice of him as he continued to push himself up, seeming to struggle with the task like his mind was having trouble making his body answer his directions. His other arm's movements caused the chain binding him to the couch to jingle and drag with a cold metallic sound. It was unnatural the way he moved, and it seemed inhuman. There was suddenly a snap as Ace's gaze found the brunet, the bones in his neck seemed to crack with disuse. Ace opened his mouth and let out an animal like shriek that had Marco placing his hands over his ears and recoiling slightly away from the circle. Beside him, Banshee cringed.

Marco watched in something akin to horror as Ace launched himself at the comatose brunet in a way reminiscent to a lion leaping at an antelope, only less graceful and more disturbing. Ace's hands reached out and dug their nails into the flesh and meat of the brunet man's arm and then Ace sunk his teeth deep into the arm. Ace's whole head and neck pulled back as he tore the flesh off the man's bones and ate like a man who was mad with hunger. His chewing was loud and guttural, and the stench of blood filled the air as it started to pour out of the brunet's arm.

Even knowing that the brunet didn't feel any pain, the scene was grotesque and made Marco's stomach churn just a little. Banshee gave him a disapproving look, as if to say that if he couldn't handle watching it, how could he expect Ace to live with it. With Ace's next bite Marco could see the flesh trying desperately to cling to the bone it was attached to, but it was pulled away, despite its resistance, with a sickening stretching and tearing sound.

Every time Ace would swallow he would bite down again on the man's flesh just as hungry as before. After having devoured the man's upper arm, Ace moved on to partake from the flesh of the man's forearm, all whilst blood continued to seep from the man's body. However, that seepage was starting to slow, which indicated that the man was running out of blood to lose. Marco could see that movement of the man's chest slow and he knew that the man was dying.

"He should stop soon." Banshee whispered. "Albeit I can't see his wound with those bandages, but with that amount of… food, it should be almost completely regenerated."

"And then what, yoi." Marco asked sullenly.

"Then, he should come back to consciousness; regain his composure." Banshee explained. "After that, I'm guessing he'll probably have a panic attack or mental breakdown and we, meaning mostly you, are going to have to calm him down."

Marco didn't bother to respond to that but went back to studying Ace instead. His ravenous hunger seemed to wane after finishing off the man's forearm. At the same time however, the man's breathing slowed to a stop. Ace seemed annoyed that the man had died and let out something between a growl and a huff.

"He's not himself right now." Banshee explains. "Currently, his mind isn't completely there, he just has the instincts to eat before he dies. It's the same as any animal starving and not realizing exactly what he's doing."

"And when he comes out of it and realizes that he just ate another person," Marco added. "You expect me to be able to calm him down, yoi."

"You stand a better job of it than I do." Banshee reminded. "He knows you at least."

Marco looked over to Ace again. Ace's hands and mouth were covered in blood as well as his legs because of how his was kneeling in the man's pooling blood. How was he supposed to calm Ace when he was going to become conscious in that sort of condition over another human being whom he had obviously eaten and killed? Even though all he wanted to do was hold Ace in his arms and whisper words of love and reassurance, he doubted that would be enough to calm Ace.

Ace took a couple bites out of the man's shoulder and torso, but it was obvious that he was slowing in his eating. Marco thought dreadfully that his stomach must be full from his cannibalistic meal. Ace swayed a bit after taking his next bite and a groan was released from his mouth that seemed much more human than the sounds he had been making earlier.

"Get ready," Banshee warned in a low tone.

Ace shakes his head slowly and moans. His entire body sways as if he's nauseous or faint. Marco takes a couple steps forward and into the circle. Banshee doesn't stop him this time, which he took to mean that he was safe from Ace attacking him. He's close enough that he can see Ace's eyelashes flutter as he blinks his eyes rapidly as if to clear his vision. Ace turns to face him as he can hear Marco approaching. Marco can see the blackness in Ace's eyes recede back to his pupils.

Ace's breath hastened, and he raised his hands to hold head, inadvertently smearing blood onto his forehead and into his hair. He seemed to notice suddenly that his hands and mouth were wet and sticky with partially still wet blood. Ace then looks down to see the pool of blood around him, and ultimately the body in front of him that was clearly mutilated by someone eating off it. Ace shakes his head back and forth in denial and pants as he starts to panic.

Marco races forward, reaching out to Ace. He ignores the feeling of blood seeping through his sandals and onto his feet. All he cares about is getting to Ace before he panics completely and starts to break down. He grabs Ace's shoulders and turns the boy towards him and away from the corpse of the brunet man, although Ace's gaze lingers on it. He pulls the young man close to him, into an embrace in the pool of blood, as he directed the boy's head into his own shoulder as he tries to shelter Ace from what just happened. Ace starts to shake, as if terrified, and Marco doesn't blame him for that.

Marco gently strokes Ace's back and starts to rock him back and forth as if he was a child that Marco was trying to soothe. He ignores the blood that sticks to his pants from the pool on the flood and the smell of it on Ace's face as he rests his chin on top of Ace's head. He's surprised and grateful as he feels Ace wrap his arms around his back and cling to the back of his shirt.

 **It was worth it,** Marco thought as he fought of a smile and breathed a sigh of relief. **Even if Ace should come to hate me for what I've made him. This moment alone is worth it.** He knew as soon as he thought it that it was true. Ace could, and very well should, hate him for this. However, this one moment of being able to hold him again after knowing what life was like without him, was worth everything that Marco did to be able to have it, and anything that would come after. Marco held Ace as tightly as he could without harming him. He hoped he could convey exactly how much he had missed Ace, and how much he loved him, just this once, before the reality of Ace's second life tore them apart again.

…

 _ **This was both hard and easy to write but it still took me a month almost. Sorry about that. I hope I can do an update at least monthly, maybe not always on the same story, as long as things in my life start looking up. I'm hoping to change jobs soon, so hopefully I'll be more able to write then. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Please review if you have the time. Love ya'll. -LPC**_


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